Air-moistening device.



J. P. HIGH.

AIR MOISTENINGDEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30. [:JII- V 1 w fifig Patentedfiept. 5, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ATTORN EY J, P. HiGH,

AlR MOISTENING DEVICE APPLICATIOP! HLED APIL 30.1917.

Pafentefifiem'. 3, 1958.

2 SHEEIS SHEU 2.

WITNESSES ATTORN EY JAMES P. HIGHpOF FAIRVIEW, OKLAHOMA.

AIR-MOISTEN IN G DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 19 18.

Application filed April 30, 1917. Serial No. 165,503.

tening devices, and its object is to provide a means for use in connection with an air impelling structure, such as an electric fan, whereby air driven by the fan and thereby circulated through an apartment may be .humidified to a desired extent, the humidifying structure being so arranged that water which may or may not be chilled, is

subdivided and directed into the stream of air issuing from the fan in such manner that a large surface of water is presented to the air streams, and consequently readily absorbed thereby, while the humidifying structure is impelled by the air streams so as to continuously direct the water into 10- cations facilitating its absorption by the air.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to anv strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications come within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings ,Figure 1 is a side elevation with some parts in section of a humidifying structure andhshowing an electric fan associated therewit Fig. 2 is a diametric section from front to rear of the rotor of the humidifying structure, ome parts being shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a face vlew of the rotor of the humidifier with a portion of the rim thereof in section and also showing the hub in section and certain portions of the facing screens broken away.

Fig. 4 is a face view of one of the washers for retaining the face screens in place at the hub of the rotor.

Fig. 5 is an enlar ed front to rear section through the rim 0 the rotor showing the manner of securing the face screens in place and omitting-other parts.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a ortion of the inner face of the rim of the rotor where provided with water elevating buckets, other parts being omitted.

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2, but drawn on a larger scale.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the rim of the rotor showing a somewhat modified construction of the water elevating buckets.

The humidifier or air moistening device comprises a tank or casing 1 having a division wall 2 dividing the tankinto two compartments 3, 4, respectively, which compartments communicate through a passage .or passages 5 at the bottom portion of the division wall 2. The compartment 3 has a removable cover 6, while the compartment 4 is open at the top. The tank is designed to contain a quantity of water, indicated at 7, and the compartment 3 may also contain ice, indicated at 8, whereby the water is suitably chilled.

Fast to and rising from the casing l at the end thereof adjacent to the compartment 4 is a post 9 ,of suitable height, which post at the upper end carries a spindle 10 extending through a. slot 11 in top of the post and entering the slot 11 at the top of the post and held to the post by washers '12 on opposite sides thereof and a clamp nut 13. The spindle 10 overhangs the tank or casing l and carries a hub l-l between one end of which and the washer 12 the spindle is surrounded by a spring 15, while the end of the spindle remote form the post 9 is threaded and provided with a thumb nut 16 or other suitable means, whereby the hub 14 may be forced against the spring 15 and thereby produce a desirable amount of frictional resistance to the rotation of the hub for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

Secured to the hub is a circular series of spokes 17 each having a flange 18 at what constitutes its inner or hub end made fast to" the hub by screws 19 or otherwise. At

' the outer ends the spokes 17 each terminate in spaced relation and located on opposite sides of the center line of the spoke, and which, since the spoke is made of sheet metal, may be pressed from one face thereof. Between the ribs are series of punchings forming lips 24 projecting from one face of each spoke, and preferably, although not necessarily, of triangular shape, with the of the rim 22 are cups 27 of semi-pyramidal shape in general outline having the base open and extending from the rim 22 at an acute angle to the length of the cup, thus forming a triangular mouth 28. The cup shallows toward the end remote from the mouth, and finally merges into the rim 22. Projecting from the mouth 28 at the portion of the cup remote from the rim 22 is an elongated tongue 29 bent away from the cuptoward the axis of the rim, and then formed into a loop 30 with the tongue rcturning toward the mouth 28 where it has an extension 31 entering the cup. The purpose of the tongue will hereinafter appear. In the particular showing of the drawings the cups are formed into two longitudinal series about the inner face of the rim with the cups of one series alternating with those of the other.

In the showingof Figs. 6 and 7 the cups are formed separately from the rim and secured thereto by soldering or otherwise. In the showing of Fig. 9 there in a rim 22 similar to the rim 22, and struck out from the rim are cup walls 27 with tongues 29 each having a return loop 30 and an extension 31" entering the mouth 28 of the cup. To complete each cup there is provided a supplemental rim 22 surrounding the rim 22 and forming that wall of the cup which is lacking because the cups 27 are punched out of the rim 22 The rim 22 has an exterior rim 22 the same as the rim 22 of Fig. 9, making this part of the structure more sturdy than would e the case in the absence of the rim 22". Secured to the hub 14 on each side of the rotor are gauze walls 32 extending to the rim 22 and there made fast to the rim by hoops 33 clamping the gauze to the inner face of the I'lll'l 22 between the edges of the rim and the ribs 26. Secured to the hub of the rotor outside of the gauze walls 32 are other gauze walls 34: in turn secured to the outer face of the rim member 22 by hoops 35. These gauze walls may be made of suitably fine mesh metal gauze, preferably galvanized, but the inner wall instead of being metal gauze may be of other gauze, say, of the kind familiarly known as mosquito netting, although cheese cloth will answer the purpose.

When the moistening or humidifying device is set up for use, the tank 1 is filled toa desirable depth with water and ice 8 may be placed in the compartment 3. An electric fan, shown at 36, is located to one side of the rotor, so as to create currents of air in a direction to pass through the rotor, but in such manner that striking the spokes 17, the pitch of these spokes causes the rotor to move. Speed of movement depends upon the relative sizes of the parts, the pitch of the spokes, which act after the, manner of fan blades, the weight of-the structure, and the tension or brake eflect produced by the spring 15 and thumb nut 16. On easing the thumb nut 16 the speed of the rotor may be increased and by tightening the thumb nut 16 the speed of the rotor may be correspondingly reduced.

The rotor is so situated that it dips for a considerable distance into the water in the tank 4, the rotorusually reaching close to the bottom of the tank, so that the water may be very nearly exhausted before it will fail to cover the lowermost part of the rim.

As the rotor moves water enters the cups 27 Or 27, and is retained thereby partly by capillary attraction, and is carried upwardly by the rising side of the rotor, the water slowly escaping from the cups by way of the looped tongues 29 which hold back the water so that it passes along the tongues only rapidly enough to cause the water to fall from the tongues by drops. The arrangement is such that the water is carried to the top of the rotor and falls in drops toward the bottom of the rotor, some being caught by the spokes, and flowing along the latter in part passes through the perforations 25 and in part passes to the tongues 23,'from which the water will again drop, the triangular form of the tongues facilitating the fall of the water in drops from the apices of the tongues.

While the central portions of the gauze walls 32 and 34 may be made fast to the rotor in any suitable manner, a convenient duced a current of air directed through the rotor, thus setting the latter in motion because of the twisted or fan-blade like form of the spokes, so that with the rotor moving comparatively slow, there is in effect a rain of drops of water within'the rotor in the path of the air streams caused by the fan 36. This rain of drops is due to the many tongues 29 causing the water to dri from, and, further, drops are caused by the tongues 24. on the spokes. As the drops of water fall, the air streams direct them against the screen walls, and these screen walls are moistened to an extent by the peripheral portions thereof passing through the water in the chamber 4, the water gravitating toward the hub portion of the rotor as the latter moves to carry the parts passing through the compartment 4 to high points. In this manner there is produced within the rotor a moist atmosphere due both to the falling drops and the wet walls and due to the driving of the falling drops against the gauze walls by the air stream The falling drops are driven by the air streams against the inner wall or walls 32, thus to a large extent arresting further progress of the drops under the action of the air streams and permitting them to spread over the walls 32 to thus present large surfaces of water to the air streamspassing through the rotor. This also pre vents any splashing of water because such water as might be driven through the inner wall 32 is caught by the outer wall 34 to be cvaported by the air streams before it can escape therefrom, and thus reach any place exterior to the rotor.

The air in a room may be very thoroughly humidified or large quantities of air may be humidified to a less degree by regulating the speed of rotation of the'rotor. This is readily done by adjusting the thumb screw 16. If the rotor moves slowly, only a relatively small amount of water is presented to the air streams and a low degree of humidity is produced. If the rotor moves more rapidly a greater quantity of water is lifted by the rotor and a greater quantity of water is met by the air streams, thus causing the latter to be moistened to a correspondingly greater degree.

The humidifier provides a .structure in which all the humidifying elements arecontained in one rotatable member, such member including also within its margins means for causing its rotation by the reaction of the air streams to be moistened.

Furthermore, the driving elements responsive to the air currents in themselves contribute to the humidifying qualities by serving to subdivide the water in such manner as to greatly increase the surface of water subjected .to evaporation. 0 p p The humidifying or air moistenmg device there-' is entirely distinct from means employed for producing air currents, but is responsive to such air currents to constantly present water in the path of such air currents in a finely divided condition, whereby large evaporatlng surface is provided within a relatively small compass.

In order to give an idea of the relative size of the humidifier, it may be stated that a rotor of about eighteen inches in diameter and three inches thick is ample for use in connection with a twelve inch domestic electric fan to humidify the air in a relatively large room in which an electric fan of the stated-size would produce circulation of air.

What is claimed is 1. An air moistener or humidifier, comprising a rotor with walls pervious to air currents and retentive of Water in liquid form and spaced apart lengthwise of the axis of rotation, said rotor having spokes between the walls arranged of flow of the air currents through the rotor to cause rotative movements of the rotor by the reaction of the air currents on the spokes.

.hAn air moistener or humidifier, comprising a rotor with Walls pervious to air currents and retentive of water in'liquid form and spaced apart lengthwise of the axis of .rotatlon, said rotor having spokes between the walls arranged at angles to the direction of flow of the air currents through the rotor to cause rotative movements of the rotor by the reaction of the air currents on the spokes, and said spokes having means for formlng water reaching them into drops in the path of the air currents passing through therotor.

An air moistener or humidifier, comprlsmg a rotor having a hub portion and a rim portion, spokes connected to the hub and carrying the rim and each shaped to constitute a fan blade for causing rotative movements of the rotor by air currents passing through the rotor and striking the blades, and walls at the front and rear of the blades and moving with and closing the ends of the rotor, said walls being formed of material pervious to air currents and retentive of water in liquid form engaging said walls.

4. An air moisteneror humidifier comprising a rotor with a substantially cylindrical rim and a hub, spokes connected at the ends to the rim and hub and having faces in anular relation to air streams passing through the rotor to impart rotatlve movements thereto, walls closing the ends of the cylindrical rotor between the hub and rim and pervious to air currents and retentive to water in liquid form, and water carrying pockets on the inner wall of the rim, each having means for delivering water from the pocket in drop form.

5. An air moistener or humidifier, comprising a rotor with a substantially cylinat angles to the direction i drical rim and a hub, spokes connected at the ends to the rim and hub and having faces in angular relation to air streams passing through the rotor to impart rotative movements thereto, walls closing the ends of-the cylindrical rotor between the hub and rim and pervious to air currents and retentive to water in liquid form, and watercarrying pockets on the inner Wall of the rim each having means for delivering water from the pocket in drop form, the spokes also having means for delivering Water reaching them in drop form.

6. An air moistener, or humidifier, comprising a rotor of substantially cylindrical form with a rim and hub and spokes connecting the rim and 'hub' and having surfaces presented to air streams passing through the rotor to cause rotation of the rotor, the spokes tapering from the hub to the rim and provided with means for discharging water in liquid form reachin the spokes, pockets on the interior face 0 the rim and having means for discharging water therefrom in drop form, and walls for the ends of the rotor arranged in spaced relation lengthwise of the rotor and each pervious to air streams and retentive of water in liquid form.

7. An air moistener or humidifier comprising a rotor with a substantially cylintarmac drical rim, a hub, axially extended spokes carrying the rim from the hub and having faces in angular relation to the direction of air streams passing through the rotor to cause rotation of the latter by the air streams, said spokes being perforated and provided with ton ues for receiving water and discharging it in drop form, cups on the inner face of the rim and provided with means for discharging water therefrom in drop form, and Walls for the ends of the casing formed of inner and outer members of material pervious to air streams and retentive of water in liquid form, the rim being provided with hoops for retaining the pervious walls thereon.

8. In an air moistener or humidifier, a rotor provided with water elevating cups each having a projecting tongue returned upon itself and entering the cup with the two portions of the tongues within capillary distance'to hold back water tending to flow from the cups and restrain it to drop by drop escape.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

. JAMES P. HIGH.

Witnesses:

F. A. PURKINS,

WEBSTER, Jr. 

